Trumpet Master Tells CSUN Audience They're Lucky to Hear Him ... and He's Right

"Relax, enjoy yourself," renowned trumpeter Arturo Sandoval told an admiring audience Saturday night at the Valley Performing Arts Center at CSUN.

"But let the people know, the people who didn't come tonight, let the people know what they missed."

In a word, plenty.

Sandoval, fresh from the Hollywood Bowl and two months shy of his 62nd birthday, was in rare form. Rare, that is, for everyone who isn't Sandoval. Over the course of two and a half hours, he not only demonstrated his absolute mastery of the trumpet, he gave impressive performances on piano and drums. Even his air guitar and air bass was dead on.

His program at CSUN was a Tribute to My Friend Dizzy Gillespie and Latin music, both of which were amply supplied.

Though Gillespie died 18 years ago, he continues to occupy a prominent place in Sandoval's heart. Gillespie was an ardent fan of Afro-Cuban music when the two met in Sandoval's native Cuba in 1977. In 1990, Gillespie arranged for Sandoval to defect to the U.S., a suspenseful act dramatized in the 2000 HBO film, For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story.

In the HBO movie, Andy Garcia played Sandoval. On Saturday, Garcia played percussions with Sandoval.

"Every single note I play for the last 37 years has been dedicated to him," Sandoval said of Gillespie, his mentor. That included the notes of a ballad, Every Day I Think of You, that Sandoval wrote a few months ago in praise of the late jazz great. "You saved my life. You set me free," Sandoval crooned.

Soon after, he performed a duet, just as he had played it with Gillespie in England's Albert Hall 22 years ago. Only this time, Sandoval took Gillespie's part and trumpeter Willie Murillo took the part played by Sandoval.

Virtually all of Sandoval's music was met with sustained applause. Especially crowd-pleasing were two numbers played earlier at the Hollywood Bowl, Besame Mucho and Quizas. At the Bowl, the songs were sung by Natalie Cole. At CSUN, the singer was Becky Martin whose powerful rendition might have benefited a little from a more sultry style.

Gillespie was not the only recipient of a Sandoval dedication. He performed a heartfelt trumpet solo of God Bless America in memory of those who perished in the 9/11 terrorist attack a decade ago.

For his part, Sandoval was equally enthusiastic playing Afro-Cuban jazz, bebop tunes or ballads. At the same time, he went out of his way to deflect some of the spotlight on the dozen or so accomplished musicians backing him up. Closing the first set, Sandoval shifted to piano as Dan Higgins on alto sax and Bob McChesney on trombone demonstrated their musical prowess.

Still, when all was said and done, the most unforgettable moments belonged to Sandoval, whether it was squeezing higher notes out of his trumpet than the instrument was designed to play or producing the greatest array of acapella sounds ever generated by a single set of vocal chords.

"You've been very lucky and I want to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your good luck," Sandoval told the Great Hall audience immodestly but playfully. Truth is, though, he was right.

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